The Avocado factory, Canggu

The Avocado Factory is famous Bali-wide for its innovative avocado-inspired menu: the 21st century’s trendiest way to get your 5-a-day.

This top vegan friendly café  offers some revolutionary dishes from green matcha pancakes to decadent chocolate-avo mousse. All made from fresh locally sourced produce.

Created by the distinguished international chef Emilio Bean, this unique café concept is the first of its kind in Asia.

The setting

The Avocado Factory is in the heart of Bali’s hip beach town Canggu, which has a relaxed Australian surfer vibe. The district brims with swimwear and surfboard stores as well as vegan cafés and smoothie bars.

The space

The outside is clad in foliage with the signature avocado-shaped sign. There are several tables to choose from. It offers fast and friendly service as well as a good WiFi connection. Grab a seat on the bar directly overlooking the rice paddies, or sit outside and soak up the Indonesian sunshine. Decor-wise, there are crates of pineapples and other tropical fruit on display and an open kitchen where you can watch the chefs create and decorate each tantalising dish.
The crowd has a distinctly young demographic, which enhances the laid back ambiance, with many tourists from Australia, America and the UK.

The fresh juice test

To drink, we got the green juice – a refreshing blend of apple, kale, celery, cucumber, lemon and ginger.

Next, we had to review the thick chocolate smoothie made from cacao, banana, chia seeds, vegan protein, coconut water and, you guessed it, avocado!

They also offer health shots made from ingredients such as apple cider vinegar, turmeric and spirulina.

What we ate

The Avocado Factory serves meat and fish, but also caters for vegan, dairy-free and gluten-free diets.

We chose the avocado-hummus open sandwich, which included crunchy roasted chickpeas, green peas, radish and a beautifully crafted avocado rose, served on seeded sourdough toast.

We also ordered the spicy smashed avocado with chilli, grilled mushrooms and a runny poached egg on black rye sourdough.

What we’d go back for…

The restaurant is 98% plastic free and uses straws made out of cassava. Plus, all the food and drink packaging is eco-friendly.

The bill

Avo hummus  64,000 IDR
Spicy mash with egg 58,000 IDR
Soy capuccino  45,000 IDR
Detox juice 35,000 IDR
Cacao elixir  49,000 IDR
Still water 25,00 IDR

 

Peloton Supershop, Bali

Know what a Peloton is? It’s a group of cyclists who bike together to build speed and conserve energy. They share the effort and strive to reach their goal as a group. The Peloton Supershop café has the same aim. It’s a café where people come together, share their journey and eat delicious plant-based food. Plus, it’s a restaurant and a bicycle store in one.

The location

The café is on the busy road Jl. Pantai Berawa, which connects Canggu and Seminyak. The easiest way to reach it is by taxi.

The space

From the outside, Peloton Supershop has huge, inviting windows. There’s no ground floor outside area, but it does have a second floor roof terrace. There’s a large sitting area (featuring bikes), and they have a communal table where you can sit on with a group or just by yourself. I chose the welcoming blue, soft couch with a wooden table. They also have super cute graphite blue tables. The service is very quick, even when it’s busy. I arrived around 4pm and it was still super crowded. There’s very strong working wifi, and it’s a great spot to work on your laptop!

The fresh juice test

Peloton Supershop have six juices and a selection of smoothies and shots.

I decided to review the Minty Magic juice. For me, it wasn’t really a juice, but more like a home-made lemonade with lemon, ginger and mint. The taste was mellow, but the juice still had a lot of flavour. They also have a choice of warm up, cool down and Ayurvedic drinks.

What we ate

Almost all their food is organic and made with local produce. They don’t use any palm oil in their kitchen and their used oils are donated to the Green school to fuel their Bio bus.

After eating a lot of rice and nasi, I was craving fresh salad so I picked the Powerhouse bowl with some sweet potato fries as a side and a carrot cake muffin as dessert.

The powerhouse bowl was filled with  greens, roasted pumpkin, broccoli, crunchy brown rice, marinated tempeh, carrot, cashews and hummus.

I also got toasted sourdough bread with garlic and an infused balsamic dressing for my salad. The salad bowl was huge and filling. The toast was deliciously toasted and the spread on it really finished everything off nicely.

The sweet potato fries were not super crunchy, but were still delicious. They were served with a homemade BBQ sauce which gave the perfect finishing touch to the dish and they came in a woven basket.

The carrot cake muffin was gluten free and huge. It was filled with grated carrot and a lot of raisins. On top was a huge layer of “cream cheese” and a walnut. The frosting made the muffin very sweet, but the cake itself was not too sweet and packed with flavour.

The bill

Sweet potato fries  35K IDR
Powerhouse bowl   75K IDR
Carrot muffin  45K IDR
Minty magic juice (Large)  30K IDR

 

 

Cafe Organic, Bali

Café Organic base their menu and environment around wellbeing and sustainability. They support local farmers and they have also become a Bali Instagram sensation. They specialise in vegetarian and health-conscious meals with a farm to table concept. So, I had to check them out!

The setting

Café Organic has three locations- Seminyak, Canggu and Umalas. We went to the one in Seminyak which is near the famous beach club Potato Head and KYND Community. It’s on the main road which leads to all the hotels.

The space

They’ve surrounded their terrace with lush plants and palm tree parasols to create a more secluded, jungle vibe. Outside are picnic tables and inside the restaurant is split into two halves. On the left is a small lounge with wooden and bamboo chairs and a striking “garden gangsta’s” mural on the wall. There are homemade cakes and pies on display and the bar where they make all the fresh juices and coffees.

The café is surprisingly large. It has a central wall with soft sofas and a selection of tables.

The walls are full of art giving the restaurant a very modern look.

They have good working wifi, but I would advise against lingering at rush hour, since it gets very crowded. Café Organic is an Australian concept cafe, so expect a lot of tourists, Instagrammers and influencers. It’s well known so is always busy from around 10am.

The little things that make the difference

Even though the Seminyak location is in the busiest part of town, Café Organic feels calm with their lush terrace planting.

The fresh juice test

There is a good choice of juice options and they will also create one for you if you don’t like what’s on offer. We decided to review the Heart beet juice which was packed with apple, carrot, beetroot, ginger and lemon and had a pretty slice of pineapple on top of the glass. It had quite a savoury flavour, but the apple, ginger and lemon added enough sweetness.

The juice had a very beautiful deep purple and red colour and came with a metal straw. Go zero waste!

What we ate

Cafe Organic serves vegetarian and plant based food with several gluten free options. Each dish is made with the finest organic ingredients supporting local farmers, conscious agriculture and environmentally friendly products. Expect one of the longest menus you’ve ever seen with an insane amount of options.

Two of their smoothie bowls are served in a coconut shell, so obviously we had to try them. We ordered the Açai coco with an extra dot of homemade peanut butter, also we had the Troppo chia pudding, a mermaid latte and the Chocotella coffee tart.

The Açai coco was the most beautiful bowl that has ever been served to me.

The base was made of açai berries, raspberries, cranberries, banana and mango. It was beautifully topped with fresh banana, mango slices, strawberry slices, super crunchy granola, toasted coconut, almonds and blueberries. The toppings added the perfect finishing touch. The peanut butter (we added extra) was delicious, it had a super crunch and was not solid at all!

The Troppo was a chia pudding soaked in coconut yoghurt with stunning, purple homemade pitaya nice cream on top made out of pitaya, banana and cashew mylk. On top of this was another layer of Coyo,, house made crunchy granola and banana slices. The granola gave a perfect crunch to the dish.

The Chocotella coffee tart was one of their raw vegan treats and a very good choice. They decorated the cake with some shaved coconut, almonds and chocolate.

We also ordered a mermaid latte with almond mylk. The colour of the latte was a very earthy blue/grey colour and it had a different flavour than I expected, but the almond mylk did not really foam up sadly!

The bill

Heart beet 39K RPH
Açai coco  75K RPH
+ Homemade peanut butter 10K RPH
The Troppo  50K RPH
Chocotella coffee tart  45K RPH
Mermaid latte  40K RPH
+ Almond mylk

 

Zest, Ubud

Zest has amazing views, an uber cool space and they are 100% plant-based. They use “locally grown tasty fruits, shoots and roots” to create their innovative dishes. The restaurant sources produce from local organic farmers, artisans and even their own staff.

The setting

Zest is a little uphill walk from the centre of Ubud, near the stunning Campuhan Ridge walk .

The space

Although Zest is on a busy road, as soon as you enter you instantly feel a sense of calm.  You pass a Buddha and it looks like you’re entering a temple, not a restaurant.

The space is built around a tree. There are relaxing sofas, and tables with an amazing view of Campuhan Ridge and modern art on the interior walls .

They have a very strong WiFi and you can work. However, if it’s busy they politely ask you to move to quieter area of the restaurant.

You can reserve tables (and it does get busy at lunch and dinner time), sit in or get a take away. When I came to review it was around 9 am and pretty peaceful. The food comes fast and the service is super friendly.

The little things that make a difference

This menu is interesting. It promotes native superfoods such as moringa, soursop, starfruit,  jackfruit, cassava, and turmeric. Plus, we were impressed by their commitment to being an eco-conscious establishment. They aim for zero waste by using cloth drink coasters, cloth napkins and glass and metal straws.

The fresh juice test

They have a great drinks menu including warm infusions, elixirs, shots, shakes, smoothies and freshly squeezed juices.

I had a carrot, beetroot, jicama and ginger juice. It had a very earthy taste because of the vegetables and the ginger gave it a strong spice kick.

The juice was freshly made and came with a metal straw. Next, I had fresh moringa shot with pineapple, as I wanted to sample a local superfood.  Most of the Balinese people kick start their day with a moringa shot. The beautiful green shot tasted of the pineapple, but I felt great afterwards.

What we ate

Zest serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. They have a lot of vegan options on the menu from Indonesian food, to tapas to raw pizzas. I had the Zest pancakes and the smoothie bowl, which are two of the famous breakfast dishes at Zest.

The smoothie bowl was a blend of banana, moringa and katuk leafs and was topped with dragon fruit, papaya, granola, shaved coconut, cashews, granola and mint leaves.

It looked beautiful and was very tasty. The pancake was stacked with mango, coconut, caramelised banana and topped with a rich chocolate sauce and dragon fruit.

What we’d come back for…

The view over Ubud is amazing. Incredible plant-based food and that view of nature- what’s not to love!

The bill

Zest pancakes  70K RPH
Green smoothie bowl  78K RPH
Fresh moringa and pineapple shot  25K RPH
Carrot, beetroot, ginger, jicama juice  50K RPH

 

The Glow Guide to Winter sun hotspots

We all love a dose of Winter sun. Here’s our hotlist of year round sun destinations packed with vegan and vegetarian cafés to refuel and rejuvenate.


Bali – Winter temperature: 31C

Bali is hot year-round and is cheapest during November – April. This is due to the rainy season, but don’t be put off. Think short, sharp tropical bursts and glistening jungle and waterfalls. It’s ideal for a Winter sun healthy getaway.

The Indonesian island is a plant based heaven with a clutch of Glowcations dotted around the main tourist areas.

Vibe: volcanoes, designer pools, temples and luxe hotels

Our favourites are:

The smoothie bowl heaven Kynd Community in the luxury beach resort of Seminyak. Don’t miss out on the bespoke mango letters and the juices.

If you’re visiting cultural Ubud, head to Moksa specialising in raw, vegan food with it’s own permaculture garden.

If boho Canggu is more your vibe, then Motion is the go to plant based fitness spot. They support local farmers and sustainability and have an extensive range of organic food options including Paleo, Keto, Alkaline, Vegan and low sugar.

 

Dubai – Winter temperature: 26C

This desert city is not only a stopover hub, but at only 7 hours flight time from Europe, an increasingly popular Winter sun destination. Home to the world’s tallest building and the globe’s largest man made island, Dubai likes to break records.  With an 80% ex pat community, the Aussie brunch scene and plant based eating is also booming. The hotels are first class and so are the growing number of plant-based cafés.

Vibe: white sand, skyscrapers, glitz and shopping

With much of the Dubai eating scene based around hotels and malls, brunch power duo, Tom Arnel and Serg Lopez, have created a stable of independent cafés catering for plant based overs.

Our favourites are:

The white tiled original Tom and Serg  in Al Quoz, AKA the brunch destination in town. All food is fresh, free range and wholesome with plenty of vegan and vegetarian options from smashed avo with fried pine nuts to the salted caramel french toast with blueberry poached pear.

The Downtown bakery and café The Sum Of Us with knockout detox juices and açai bowls, chai puddings and breakfast bowls. Savouries include shakshouka and mushroom quesadilla.

Finally, just two blocks form Umm Suqeim beach, is the laid back, flip-flop friendly Surf Cafe. The menu is massive with an inventive vegan section plus sensational salads, açai and poké bowls.

Phuket – Winter temperature: 31C

 

Thailand has literally hundreds of islands to choose from for Winter sun, but for a healthy café fuelled trip you can’t beat the original castaway fantasy of Phuket. Lying on the west coast, (which has the best weather from December to March) it has over 36 beaches from buzzing Patong to the chilled charm of Nai Harn.

Vibe: chic beach shacks, turquoise sea, sunsets and spas

Our favourite Glowcations lie in the south:

In Phuket Town, The Gallery Café has traditional Thai architecture and a beautiful courtyard – perfect for sipping on a matcha latte or their signature design your own juice and all day breakfasts. There are two other branches on Phuket one in Chalong and one in Rawai.

Also in laid back Rawai we love to sink into in the armchairs and sofas of The Origami Café and indulge in delicate Vietnamese rolls followed by a cooling Nana Bowl, a protein packed fruit smoothie bowl.

Finally, there’s Wilson’s ticking the beach shack box. Our go to dish is the Garden salad with added poached egg and avo. They poach eggs to perfection here and they also make a mean turmeric latte.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alchemy, Bali

Alchemy was the original raw vegan restaurant in Bali. Based in serene Ubud, it is still going strong serving salad, fresh juices and smoothie bowls daily from 7am till 9pm.

Alchemy is famous for their signature create your own salad and smoothie bar with a vast array of toppings and bases … and we had heard that their raw chocolate deserts are pretty addictive too, so we had to visit!

The location

Alchemy is on the edge of Ubud. It’s conveniently close to the Campuhan Ridge walk so it makes a great post hike pitstop.

The space

Alchemy is on a busy, main road. The roof is made of multiple layers of palm tree thatch and wood so you can’t miss it. In front of the entrance there’s a row of large potted palm trees screening off the road plus a parking lot for the scooters.  There’s no outside terrace at the front, but they do have a garden at the back where you can sit. Inside is minimal and white. You can grab and go, or eat in. Once inside, you forget you’re on a main road.

The tables, chairs and benches are all warm, distressed wood and complemented by pea green cushions. They have large tables for up to 8 people, but also tables for just two. We choose a wooden bench next to the window.

The crowd

The customers are mixed and mostly tourists including parents with buggies, backpackers or people like us -healthy food lovers!

The little things that make a difference

You can create your own smoothie or salad bowl at the bar so there is no waiting around.

Also, cakes come quickly so you only have to wait for your juices which are all made fresh.

The WiFi is really good and it’s a perfect place to work, because of the relaxed vibe. The music is easy going pop  – not played too loudly.

The fresh juice test

There’s a huge menu of smoothies and juices.  We had two juices -the Classic Green with apple and lime which was a mix of cucumber and leafy greens (parsley, spinach, kale, celery, bok choy) and the Pina Colada made of pineapple (of course), coconut, vanilla and palm nectar.

The green juice tasted very healthy, I loved the mixture of leafy greens. But the Pina Colada was definitely our favourite, it really did taste like a Pina Colada!

The juices are freshly made made in the kitchen, but you can also buy them bottled to take away. We loved the use of bamboo straws.

What we ate

Everything at Alchemy is raw, vegan and mostly home made. We chose two make your own smoothie bowls. You choose the base smoothie or cashew mylk, then three fruits and finally 2 toppings – although you can pay more for extra. The bowls are finished off with mint and lime and the topping sizes are generous. We had a bowl with a spirulina and banana base and another with a  mango base. We made up the green bowl (spirulina and banana base) with dragon fruit, papaya, mango, toasted coco buckwheat granola, coconut whipped cream and extra homemade caramel. With our yellow mango bowl, we added papaya, dragon fruit, cantaloupe, coco cashews and muesli.

Next, we had the raw bananoffee pie, which was incredible!

The bottom layer had a really deep rich flavour. The banana layer added more fruity flavour. Finally, the top layer of coconut whipped cream added a really intense flavour twist. Everything fitted together perfectly. Our other cake (well chocolate bar) was a chunk of raw, vegan chewy chocolate with almonds and a hard chocolate layer on top. As chocolate lovers, we adored it!

What we’d go back for…

Alchemy has their own raw vegan cooking classes where you can sign yourself up. Also, they have their own cook book “The Raw Alchemist”.

The bill

Banoffee pie 45.000IDR
Clean Green  48.000IDR
Chewy bar 27.000IDR
Pina Colada 45.000IDR
Smoothie bowl 55.000IDR

Moksa, Bali

Moksa has a mission: to create, and serve, healthy food in the most extraordinary and inspiring way.

Their ingredients are sourced directly from their own permaculture garden and this Glowcation is a fun farm to fork experience from start to finish.

Apart from their inspirational mission, Moksa’s USP is serving raw, vegan food which will quite simply explode your taste buds. Their standout dishes from the massive menu are the raw vegan lasagne and pizza.

The location

Moksa is quite remote, so you need to follow the instructions on their website to get there from central Ubud. We went by scooter, as it’s a long walk from the town centre. Moksa is surrounded by rice fields and on arrival you instantly feel like you’re miles away from the super busy and increasingly touristy Ubud.

The space

When you arrive at Moksa, you relax and can appreciate the sound of birds and the jungle. It’s the perfect get away from the city.

There’s two big, wooden, open terraces under a roof. You can relax and look at their beautiful permaculture garden from the chairs and tables made of dark Indonesian wood. When we arrived around 4pm it wasn’t busy at all. It filled up later but it never felt crowded or noisy. The music was  Ed Sheeran and acoustic covers of numbers, but not too loud. Working with your laptop in a culinary restaurant like this won’t be appreciated, but they do have good WiFi.

There’s a little shop next to the restaurant where they sell their own cakes and pies. You can also get take away there.

The crowd

Is quite international.  Moksa restaurant was founded by Chef Made Runatha and Made Janur Yasa. Chef Made Runatha became the world’s first Indonesian certified plant-based cuisine chef.

The fresh juice test

We had a fresh young coconut and the Body Cleanser which contained carrot, kale, celery, wheatgrass, ginger, apple and lime juice.

The apple made the juice a bit sweeter, but not too sweet. It came in a long glass with a bamboo straw.

What we ate

Moksa is 100% plant based and serves raw and cooked food. They use seasonal produce direct from their permaculture garden and the choices on the menu range from Asian, to Italian to Mexican!

We started off with the Moksa Mezze which came on a platter with quinoa, tabouleh, grilled aubergine, cucumber stick, olives, red radishes, tomato, vegan pesto cheese, living bread and crackers, accompanied with zucchini hummus, vegan tzatziki and red beet muhamara.

As our main dish, we had the Moksa Sampler, tempeh ribs and a portion of purple sweet potato fries with house made “ketchup”. The Moksa Sampler was a chef`s selection of mini lasagne, Asian spring pasta, mini pizza, gado-gado, organic spring mix, and accompanied with a soup of choice. We chose the soup of the day which was a very creamy and rich flavoured pumpkin soup.

Our favourite was definitely the mini lasagne, as the flavours were so intense and delicious.

We really loved the Sampler, because the menu is so large and everything sounds amazing, having the sampler allowed us to taste half of the selection.

The Tempeh ribs were two pieces grilled soy tempeh marinated with homemade bbq sauce, served with mashed sweet potatoes, mixed greens and grilled tomato. The flavour and texture of the ribs really were like a piece of meat. Plus, the extra portion of bbq sauce next to the ribs was perfect. So we ate it with the sweet potato as well.

Last, but not least, we ordered the Sweet Symphony as dessert. This was the chef`s selection of three raw vegan cakes and pies with vegan ice cream. We had a passionfruit pie with a nut and date layer and a very creamy light yellow passionfruit and lime layer with raspberries and topped with a gelatin like layer with passionfruit seeds. Plus, a slice of lime pie and another slice of raw chocolate pie with “whipped cream” and a strawberry next to a scoop of raspberry ice-cream.

The desserts were amazing.

Our tip, since the dessert menu is also pretty large, you can have 4 desserts in one if you go for the platter.

The little things that make the difference

The service is perfect and so professional. When we arrived, they asked us if we had been to Moksa before, and explained the philosophy of the restaurant. When your food arrives they also go through everything on your plate.

Almost all their food is grown in their own permaculture garden and they have a farmers market every Tuesday and Saturday from 10AM till 2PM. Also, the ceramic sets on sale (made by Hillary Kane from Gaya Ceramic Art Centre) and the cutlery are really unique.

The bill

Moksa mezze 70.000IDR
Moksa sampler 80.000IDR
Sweet potato fries 25.000IDR
Sweet symphony 70.000IDR
Tempeh ribs 70.000IDR
Body cleanser  55.000IDR
Young coconut  25.000IDR

For more Bali inspiration click here.

Motion Café, Bali

Canggu’s Motion Café is the must visit destination to eat in south Bali. They have a wide range of delicious menu options from vegan to paleo which puts them firmly on our glow list!

They also support local farmers and take sustainability and caring for the environment seriously. So what’s not to like?

Motion Café is known as the fitness food Valhalla in Canggu. Their standout dish is the divine sweet potato and protein waffle. The rest of the menu is also to die for, with an extensive range of organic food options- Paleo, Keto, Alkaline, Vegan, low sugar to name a few.

The location

Motion Cafe is on Jalan Pantai Batu Bolong, the busiest street of Canggu which leads to the beach a 20 minute walk away.

The space

The café space is open- half inside, half outside. It has turquoise and white walls alongside pretty printed wallpaper which creates a welcoming vibe. You can either order food as a takeaway or delivery, or eat in.

The service is very quick, we had all our dishes within 10-20 minutes and we were there at the busiest time of the day.

We chose a table with two large padded chairs in the outside section. The WiFi connection is very strong, so it’s a hotspot for people working on their laptops. There’s an open kitchen at the back of the restaurant, where they refrigerate their own homemade cakes, raw balls and juices.

The crowd

The crowd varies a lot, but it’s mostly the food and fitness conscious, like bodybuilders, due to the high protein menu options.

The fresh juice test

We ordered two freshly made juices- the Cold juice and the Frog juice (!). The Cold juice was a mix of pineapple, orange, lemon and ginger and tasted very tropical.

The Frog juice was, as it name suggests, green. It was a combo of apple, spinach, cucumber, parsley, lemon and ginger.

It wasn’t too sweet, as it contained a lot of veg, so it was refreshing to drink alongside the sweet dishes.

 

What we ate

Since we went for brunch, we chose a mix of sweet and savoury. As the sweet potato waffles are the real deal at Motion,  we had to order them and a smoothie bowl. Plus, we selected a vegetable wok with tempeh and two juices!

The waffle came with fresh chopped fruit (banana, apple, mango, papaya, watermelon, blueberries and dragonfruit (pitaya)), chopped walnuts, coconut cream and coconut syrup. It wasn’t as sweet as you’d expect, because of the savoury balance of the sweet potato base.

It was crunchy on the edge and soft in the middle and was packed with sweet potato making it very filling.

The Blueberry – Banana bowl had a frozen blueberry and banana base and was topped with a sesame- pumpkin- sunflower seeds mixture along with mango mousse, almond and coconut milk chia pudding, fresh strawberries and homemade vanilla granola. The base was quite liquid and melted fast, but the toppings were very rich and delicious.

The veggie wok was more simple. It came with a mix of stir fried vegetables, a little salad, a brown an red rice mix and some simply fried tempeh.

The menu indicates whether the food is vegan, vegetarian or gluten free and you can change the base to suit your preferences.

The little things that make the difference

Motion is committed to zero waste. They use glass straws, have their own reusable napkins and their glasses are made of recycled bottles.

When we couldn’t finish our “veggie wok” they offered a doggy bag.

The bill

Cold juice  45.000 IDR
Frog juice  45.000 IDR
Sweet potato waffle with fruit salad  70.000 IDR
Veggie wok  65.000 IDR
BB Bowl   85.000 IDR

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Crate Café, Bali

Crate Café opened it’s doors four years ago and is now the unmissable plant-based destination in Canggu. Their ethos is “To Create a Community. Keep it simple and keep it consistent”.

Unlike most eateries in Bali, Crate Café opens super early at 6 am, serving great coffee to kick start the day.

Their must have dish is chia pudding with a dollop of nana cream on top. The view over the rice fields is very relaxing.


The location

Crate Café is on a side street off the main street of Jalan Pantai Batu Bolong.

The space

Crate is modern, minimal and large with open sides with a cool canteen vibe. You can either sit outside at a wooden bar with parasols or in the main seating area with large wooden tables, comfy, pink couches and smaller tables featuring pictures of visitors under a plate glass top.

To order, you stand in line, pay and receive a number, then sit down and wait to be served, all of which is very fast and efficient. You can also order a take away, from the same line.

We visited Crate Café twice and both times it was packed but we still got our food within 15 minutes.

It’s quite noisy, as there are so many seats and it gets pretty busy. Plus, we really didn’t have much of a choice of where to sit. The WiFi is very strong, but they won’t appreciate it if you settle in to work there.

The crowd

Crate is very popular with tourists and becomes crowded around 10 am. So, to make sure you get a seat, arrive early. A lot of trendy people come here, but also parents with children and buggies. Dogs are welcome.

What we ate

Crate Café has a huge menu. If you don’t like their signature smoothie bowls or chia puddings, then you can choose from wraps, toast, eggs and (vegan) sweet treats as well – like banana bread, muffins or brownies.

The chia and smoothie bowls are both dairy free. Plus there are vegan, vegetarian, fish, meat, gluten and dairy free options on the menu.

There’s a large choice on the juice and smoothie menu. We ordered a watermelon juice and a Two Timer smoothie which were freshly made in the kitchen. The smoothie was super special with vivid pink and green layers. The pink layers were dragon fruit and banana, and the green layers kiwi and banana. It was both sweet and filling because of the banana.

We ordered the Bluebs chia pudding, the Mangoliciouse smoothie bowl and a slice of vegan banana bread.

The Bluebs was served in a big glass mug. It was a layer of chia pudding soaked in coconut milk, then a layer of nana cream made with blue spirulina, papaya and banana – all topped off with mango and kiwi balls. Often, when you have a banana based smoothie or ice cream, the banana flavour really takes over, but it didn’t here.

The mix between the jelly chia pudding and the ice cream on top was an interesting texture combination, but very delicious!

The Mangoliciouse smoothie bowl was a bit more traditional. The base was a mix of frozen banana, mango and lime topped with roasted cashews, pumpkin seeds, papaya balls and fresh, shredded coconut. The base was delicious, but the toppings were the best part, because of the large helping of fresh coconut.

For something more solid, we ordered the banana bread which was vegan -and a winner!.

The structure was really light, so if you didn’t know it was vegan, it would be tricky to guess. However, it did need a topping or just a little something extra to make it glow.

The little things that make the difference

Underneath the roofed section, there’s a small art exhibition where you can also buy the artist’s work.

The bill

Waterboy watermelon juice  40.000IDR
Two Timer 40.000IDR
Bluebs  60.000IDR
Mangoliciouse  55.000IDR
Vegan banana bread  35.000IDR